This invention relates to fluid flow control devices, and more particularly to a humidity-controlled diverter valve, particularly adapted for the selective diversion of exhaust air from automatic clothes dryers.
Manually operated, pivotally supported, diverter valves in Y-shaped fluid conduits for diverting the flow of fluid, such as water, selectively between the inlet to the fluid conduit and a pair of outlets, are well known in the art, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 83,808, of Van Norman et al, issued Nov. 3, 1968, and U.S. Pat. No. 121,960, issued to Peters on Dec. 19, 1871.
Furthermore, manually operated diverter valves in which the inlet is connected to the exhaust outlet of an automatic clothes dryer and in which one outlet transmits hot moist air to the exterior of the enclosure or house, and the other outlet transmits exhaust air to a space within the house or enclosure, or to a duct within a hot air circulating system within the house, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,482 of Briscoe, issued July 12, 1977, No. 4,122,612 of Mrofchak, issued Oct. 31, 1978, and No. 4,156,973. However, all of the diverter valves disclosed in these patents are controlled manually.
Humidity sensors for controlling the operation of automatic clothes dryers, and particularly for terminating the operation of the dryer when a predetermined humidity and/or temperature condition is sensed, are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
3,253,347 Kripke, May 31, 1966: PA0 3,269,027 Harnden, Jr., Aug. 30, 1966: PA0 4,221,058 Zagorzycki, Sept. 9, 1980.
However, none of the above 3 patents, Kripke, Harnden, Jr., or Zagorzycki, utilizes a humidity sensor for controlling a diverter valve in the hot air exhaust flow from the dryer in order to control the flow of hot moist exhaust air to the interior or exterior of a house or enclosure.